This document discusses design scripts and how designers plan actions to achieve desired future states. It provides examples of how artifacts can "prescribe" or delegate actions through scripts. Design scripts shape human behavior by encouraging or discouraging certain actions. Examples include speed bumps that say "slow down", paper coffee cups that say "dispose of me", and password indicators that challenge users to create strong passwords. The document explores how scripts are present throughout a product's lifecycle from conception to disposal. It argues that scripts reflect a designer's intentions for how an artifact will interact with users and contexts.

1. Design Scripts
Designing (inter)actions with intentions
Bas Leurs (October 6, 2011)
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2. What makes design
so complicated?
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3. Most inspring book on Design I have ever read:
Design Methods (seeds of human future)
John Chris Jones
1970
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4. Interfaces
Social Experiences Brands
networks Food
John C. Jones (1970)
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5. What makes design
so complicated
according to Jones?
In Design Methods (1970)
“The fundamental problem is
that designers are obliged to
use current information to
predict a future state that will
not come about unless their
predictions are correct.”
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6. Other problems that
designers have...
In Design Methods (1970)
“The designer must be able to
predict the ultimate effects of
their proposed design as well
as specifying the actions that
are needed to bring these
effects about.”
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7. Specifying actions...
So design has something
to do with plans?
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8. current desired
situation situation
How do designers plan their
actions to accomplish the future
state that they desire?
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9. 9

10. My ambition: to understand how
designers think and how they can
improve the way they learn and
work, so they can make better
(meaningful) products and services
INPUT
OUTPU
T
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11. Spending time in the pub is
sometimes useful.
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12. Bruno Latour’s scripts
Latour’s concept for
describing the Br u no Lato
ur
delegation of action
by artifacts is called
a ‘script’. Like
a t he
t he s
atre
cript
of a
movi
can ‘ play, e or
presc an a
to ac ribe’ r tifac
t whe its us t
n t he ers h
y use ow
it .
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13. I consider scripts a bit like ‘Automator’ scripts
What if...
Scripts are programs of
actions. These programs
of actions (or agency of
things) shape human
behaviour.
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14. Examples of scripts
Speed bumps, the script
says: ‘Slow down!’
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15. Examples of scripts
Paper coffee cup, the
script is: ‘dispose me
after use’
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16. Which one do you prefer?
Which one would you buy?
A B
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17. You’ll find scripts throughout the life of a product
Conception Manufacturing Distribution Sales Installation Maintenance Disposal
Selling it to the Should be possible Should be Should catch the Should be easy to Should it be easy Should be good
client and cheap to lightweight attention of the install to clean or to for the
Building prototypes produce and easy buyer replace the bulb? environment
to assemble How can it be
repaired when it
breaks?
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18. Examples of scripts
Striping of Dutch
Police cars
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19. Examples of scripts
Striping of Dutch Police cars:
Roadblocks, visual presence,
applicable to many types of
vehicles
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20. Examples of scripts
Password strength indicator
20

21. Examples of scripts
Password strength indicator:
Persuade or challenge people
to select a safe password
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22. Examples of scripts
Wii
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23. Examples of scripts
Wii: playing together and
moving instead of sitting
on a couch?
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24. Examples of scripts
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25. Examples of scripts
Don’t stand too close!
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26. Examples of scripts
Prevent people to lay down and take nap.
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27. Examples of scripts
No parking for camping cars
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28. Examples of scripts
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29. Examples of scripts
29

30. Examples of scripts
Prevention of cameras being attached
to the machine that record the keypad
input
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31. Designing (inter)actions
31

32. P ERIEN
X C
E humans
E
INTERACTION
TE
GY
CH
LO
NO
NO
LO
TECH
GY
N human IN
IO TE
CT RA
RA CT
TE IO
IN N
TECH
NOLOGY
products / artefacts / environments brands / organisations / companies
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33. Context = Any factor that influences the interaction
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34. In essence, scripts are
about intentions (aims)
How the designer intends the artefact to interact with
its user(s) and context (or vice versa).
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35. 35

36. Theory of planned behavior
(Ajzen & Fishbein, 1975)
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37. inside the designer’s mind outside in de real world
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38. Inside the designer’s mind outside in de real world
Values: what I find The position I take as The aim or plan I have The actual behaviour
import as human a designer towards a as a designer to get to that my designed
being or designer situation (problem) the desired situation artefact induces.
(professional ethics)
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39. Inside the designer’s mind outside in de real world
Values: what I find The position I take as The aim or plan I have The actual behaviour
import as human a designer towards a as a designer to get to that my designed
being or designer situation (problem) the desired situation artefact induces.
(professional ethics) human-ce or tive reward patients
ntered self supp when they take the
are
, doing g
ood medical c ir
altruism medication at the
righ moment.
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40. an
ution of hum ct
Th e attrib cs to an obje
risti
aracte
Anthropomorphism ch
(Latour, 1992)
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41. the designer is delegated
My intentions as designer as another human
are ‘enscribed’ in the (services) or non-human
artefact and shape the character (products)
actions of the user.
Inside the designer’s mind outside in de real world
Values: what I find The position I take as The aim or plan I have The actual behaviour
import as human a designer towards a as a designer to get to that my designed
being or designer situation (problem) the desired situation artefact induces.
(professional ethics)
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42. Anthropomorphism and Service Design
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43. Elements of scripts
Objective / Aim Context (Scene)
Artefact (Product/Service) Sequence of (inter)actions Actor (User)
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44. But... scripts can have
errors (bugs)...
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45. But scripts can go wrong...
If the context is not taken into account for instance
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46. Or scripts can have flaws
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47. Or scripts can have flaws
If users are creative... or magicians...
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48. Or scripts can be hacked
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49. Scripts can be hacked...
Fooling other scripts
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50. Scripts can be hacked...
Fooling other scripts
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51. Scripts can be hacked...
Examples of scripts Bypassing other scripts
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52. Scripts can be hacked...
Bypassing other scripts
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53. Or scripts can be just misplaced
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54. Or scripts can be just misplaced
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55. Service Scriptsbe just misplaced
Or scripts can
Customer Service Scripts
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56. Or scripts can be just misplaced EGBG Counterscript
How to deal with direct marketing strategies
http://egbg.home.xs4all.nl/counterscript.html
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57. You will find the
principles of scripts
in many fields
Cognition &
Economics &
Political Sciences Schemata theory
Event schemata (Scripts)
Choice architecture Usecues Mandler, Schank & Abelson
Richard Thaler, Cass Sunstein, Kanis, Rooden, A ordances
John Balz Green Donald Norman Behavioural Scripts
Craig Anderson
Usability Cognitive structures
In uencing public of knowledge
behaviour
Legislation Error prevention,
ease of use
Architectures of control
Lawrence Lessig
Education
In uencing public
behaviour
Persuasive Intervention scripts
Barnett, Bauer, Bell, et al
technology
Acquisition of knowledge,
Persuasive technology
skills and values
BJ Fogg
Design with
Philosophy Intent
Dan Lockton Game
‘Enscription of artefacts’
Bruno Latour, Madeleine Akrich
Design
Change attitudes or behaviors Serious games
through persuasion
How technology a ects Educating, training and
peoples life developing behaviour ,
mindsets
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58. Persuasive Technology Shaping Technology / Influence: The Physchology Nudge: Improving decisions
BJ Fogg Building Society of Persuasion about Health, Wealth and
Wiebe Bijker, John Robert Cialdini Happines
Law Richard Thaler, Cass
Sunstein
This paper
describes
scripts as event
schemata and
tion
not as design
ifica
intentions!
Gam
Design with Intent: Patterns for Influencing The potential of using script theory in
Behaviour Through Design consumer behaviour research
Dan Lockton (architectures.danlockton.co.uk) Ersmus, Boshof, Rousseau
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59. Have fun with
scripting!
And keep ethics in mind! (nudge, don’t use coercion)
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